Building People. Spreading Hope.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Strength for the Day of Adversity


There are times when we all go through hell on earth. It is human to be confused, cynical and doubtful. We feel unloved and distant from God. Our confidence runs low and our expectations shattered.

Unlike popular belief and religious inclination, God is not mad at you. Instead, He is madly in love with you. He knows our deepest, darkest thoughts. He has witnessed our every failure and heartache. Today, if you are in a spot of bother, I want to give you four A’s to help you out of your pit.

#1. You are accepted. That means God’s love reaches you no matter where you are. There is no VIP sinner that God cannot rescue. He accepts you just the way you are but He loves you too much to leave you the way you are. Nothing we do can earn God’s favor. We just have to embrace God’s grace. You are accepted – just the way you are!

#2. You are approved. Sometimes we try too hard to impress God. It is in our nature to try to “earn” our salvation. But like the credit card companies, Jesus has already pre-qualified us. It should be our utmost concern wanting to please God with our lives. However, some people have what I call “approval addiction.” Today, I’m telling you that you don’t need to strive anymore. As a child of God, you belong to the family. There’s nothing wrong with you. You are approved by the Almighty God. You don’t have to impress people nor compare yourself with anyone else. Just like Jesus, God is saying to you, “This is my son/daughter, whom I love; with him/her I am well pleased!” You are approved by the Creator of the universe.

#3. You are anointed. This means God has given you special favor and power to go through a hard thing in an easy way. When you are anointed you can do amazing feat! This is what happened to Samson. God had anointed Him to deliver the Israelites. Once, he was in a precarious position with his enemies. A thousand Philistines had ambushed to kill him. But the Spirit of Lord came upon Samson. He found a jawbone of a donkey lying on the ground and with it, he killed a thousand Philistines! Friend, the Spirit of the Lord is with you. You too are anointed to handle a tough situation.

Today, you may be a single mom and the odds are against you. Let me remind you - you're anointed to raise that angel God has given you. If the job hasn't come through yet; it will. God has anointed you to endure this period of dry season. If your business is struggling, God has anointed you to persevere. Your business will thrive again. If your loved one is acting up, you must know - God is drawing him closer even now. If you are struggling in your marriage, the anointing will rekindle your love again. If you are buried in a mountain of debt, do what you can and God's anointing will decimate the rest! If you are battling an addiction, do not let people label you - a drug-addict or an alcoholic. No. You are a child of the Most High! See and declare yourself as one. The anointing will break every yoke (bondage).

#4. You are appointed. We are appointed to worship God. In the midnight hour, Paul and Silas were in prison. But they began to pray and sing praises to God. It was so powerful that it created an earthquake and it led Paul and Silas to be free again. I tell you, when you praise God in your midnight hour, miracles will take place. As long as we stay focused on our own misery, we will never rise to the level of victory God intended for us to have. Another great way to get out of our troubles is to help someone else. We’re appointed to help others (Acts 1:8). When we reach out to push people up we elevate our own position. Let us do what we can to help others win. Friend, God is not only with you, He is FOR YOU! Remember, you are accepted. You are approved. You are anointed and you are appointed.

“But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!” (2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP).

Be a Person of Influence: www.buildinternational.org

Invite Sandy Anderson to Speak: Call 972 800 4346, Email: buildinternational@sbcglobal.net 

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